Coping in crisis: The role of psychologists in response to a pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a major impact on the world. In the United States, healthcare systems have been taxed, medical supplies depleted, and healthcare providers overburdened by the increased need. Although psychologists cannot provide medical services, we possess a unique skillset that can alleviate some of the stress placed on healthcare providers, answer important questions about how this disease impacts patients, and support the growing mental health needs of providers and patients alike.

Correlates of death among SARS-CoV-2 positive veterans: The contribution of lifetime tobacco use.

Despite a growing body of research examining correlates and consequences of COVID-19, few findings have been published among military veterans. This limitation is particularly concerning as preliminary data indicate that veterans may experience a higher rate of mortality compared to their civilian counterparts. One factor that may contribute to increased rates of death among veterans with COVID-19 is tobacco use.

Veterans Health Administration's Physician Assistant Primary Care Residency: An Evaluation of the First 3 Years.

Purpose: Results from an evaluation of a 12-month postgraduate Veterans Health Administration (VHA) residency in primary care for physician assistants (PAs).

Methods: Descriptive and open-ended data were collected to describe the experience of faculty and trainees participating in the first 3 years of this pilot residency. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Physiological responses to acute psychological stress are reduced by the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone.

Physiological reactions to psychological stress are positively associated with several important chronic conditions including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and are linked to increased mortality. As such, the identification of cellular and molecular pathways that act to reduce stress responding may represent important targets for therapeutic intervention. Here we report that acute treatment with the peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonist rosiglitazone (RSG) blunts systemic responses to acute psychological stress in rats.

RE-AIM evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration's MOVE! Weight Management Program.

Unlabelled: Over one-third of patients treated in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are obese. VHA introduced the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans in 2006 to provide comprehensive weight management services. An evolving, periodic evaluation using the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) has been conducted to gauge success and opportunities for improvement.

Best practices in the Veterans Health Administration's MOVE! Weight management program.

Background: Obesity is a substantial problem in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). VHA developed and disseminated the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans to its medical facilities but implementation of the program has been variable.

Purpose: The objective was to explore variation in MOVE! program implementation to identify facility structure, policies, and processes associated with larger patient weight-loss outcomes.

Forebrain origins of glutamatergic innervation to the rat paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus: differential inputs to the anterior versus posterior subregions.

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) regulates numerous homeostatic systems and functions largely under the influence of forebrain inputs. Glutamate is a major neurotransmitter in forebrain, and glutamate neurosignaling in the PVN is known to mediate many of its functions. Previous work showed that vesicular glutamate transporters (VGluTs; specific markers for glutamatergic neurons) are expressed in forebrain sites that project to the PVN; however, the extent of this presumed glutamatergic innervation to the PVN is not clear.

Stimulation of the prelimbic cortex differentially modulates neuroendocrine responses to psychogenic and systemic stressors.

The medial prefrontal cortex is important for normal regulation of stress responses, and is implicated in stress-related affective disease states (e.g. depression).

Hyperphagia and increased fat accumulation in two models of chronic CNS glucagon-like peptide-1 loss of function.

Central administration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) causes a dose-dependent reduction in food intake, but the role of endogenous CNS GLP-1 in the regulation of energy balance remains unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that CNS GLP-1 activity is required for normal energy balance by using two independent methods to achieve chronic CNS GLP-1 loss of function in rats. Specifically, lentiviral-mediated expression of RNA interference was used to knock down nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) preproglucagon (PPG), and chronic intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1r) antagonist exendin (9-39) (Ex9) was used to block CNS GLP-1r.

Pleasurable behaviors reduce stress via brain reward pathways.

Individuals often eat calorically dense, highly palatable "comfort" foods during stress for stress relief. This article demonstrates that palatable food intake (limited intake of sucrose drink) reduces neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and behavioral responses to stress in rats. Artificially sweetened (saccharin) drink reproduces the stress dampening, whereas oral intragastric gavage of sucrose is without effect.

Design and dissemination of the MOVE! Weight-Management Program for Veterans.

Background: Practitioners in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) identified comprehensive weight management as a high priority in early 2001.

Program Design: The MOVE! Weight-Management Program for Veterans was developed on the basis of published guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. Testing of program feasibility occurred at 17 VHA sites, and the program was refined during early implementation throughout 2005.

Risk behaviors and resiliency within physically abused adolescents.

Objective: This study examines the relationship between physical abuse and several risk behaviors, and thriving behaviors, and the relationship between potential protective factors and engagement in risk and thriving behaviors among victims of physical abuse. Three categories of potential protective factors were examined: (1) individual characteristics, (2) family processes, and (3) extra-familial factors. We expected that high levels of protective factors would reduce engagement in risk behaviors (i.

Biofeedback treatment of constipation: a critical review.

Purpose: This review was designed to 1) critically examine the research design used in investigations of biofeedback for pelvic floor dyssynergia, 2) compare the various biofeedback treatment protocols for pelvic floor dyssynergia-type constipation used in this research, 3) identify factors that influence treatment outcome, and 4) identify goals for future biofeedback research for pelvic floor dyssynergia.

Methods: A comprehensive review of both the pediatric and adult research from 1970 to 2002 on "biofeedback for constipation" was conducted using a Medline search in all languages. Only prospective studies including five or more subjects that described the treatment protocol were included.

Systematic review of the comorbidity of irritable bowel syndrome with other disorders: what are the causes and implications?

Background & Aims: Comorbid or extraintestinal symptoms occur frequently with irritable bowel syndrome and account for up to three fourths of excess health care visits. This challenges the assumption that irritable bowel is a distinct disorder. The aims of this study were to (1) assess comorbidity in 3 areas: gastrointestinal disorders, psychiatric disorders, and nongastrointestinal somatic disorders; and (2) evaluate explanatory hypotheses.